Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

January 30, 2012

A NEW AUTHORITY

To understand the magnitude of this Gospel, it is helpful to know that anytime a rabbi or scribe taught during the days of Jesus, they would have referenced another, most likely their teacher. Likewise, their teachers would have referenced teachers before them, so that a line of teachers and teaching could eventually be traced to the original teacher – Moses, who received his instruction from God directly.

But Jesus did not reference his teachers and so the astonishment came from the implication that Jesus was teaching something entirely new. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, he did so with an authority that even the unclean spirits recognized.

A new teaching with authority – exactly as the Lord promised to us through Moses in the first reading. Exactly what we are told in the first reading that the people wanted: a prophet like you from among your kin.

Exactly what we asked for . . . just not the way we thought we would get it – how many times does that happen to us?